Edge of Eternity's End
by Nevair
Summary: War rages in a far off time and as the final battle nears, a small group of soldiers sacrifice everything to ensure their future will never come to pass. YaoiShonenai Post EW, SciFiFantasy.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

_The path before us is laid bare with every step forward we take, and defined by every step taken behind._

A hissed breath escaped, misting in the air before the chill wind tore the small cloud away and out across the dead landscape. Dirt and debris scattered as the figure stumbled forward, caught on torn and soiled once-black gloves. The pounding behind grew louder, drowning out even the thunderous sound of his pounding heart. True thunder echoed the thought in the tormented sky above, blending all the chaotic sounds of the night into one great, indefinable roar. Combat boots skittered across some unknown object as shaking hands thrust him back to his feet, moving on pure instinct away from the ever following noises behind and the dead scattered across the crowded street; from all the past mistakes, from death itself. Lashes blinked quickly to remove excess water dripping from sodden bangs, more splashing into his face from the small pools his boots crashed through. The rain kept falling; tears from a tortured sky. Light from above, Seeker Jets, fell in beams across his path; twining around one another as the piloted ships moved in systematic grid patterns across the bleak landscape of the once flourishing city. He could see his destination in the distance, slowly growing with every weaving step he took, desperately trying to avoid the macabre bodies strewn on the ground.

The pounding behind drew closer.

Asphalt ground into one cheek as he was thrown off his feet, breath releasing in one sobbing explosion. A second force wave shoved the battered body flatter to the ground, ruining any chance of a quick escape. The searchlights spiralled wildly, focusing one by one on the motionless figure almost blending into the surrounding corpses. Engines hummed somewhere in the sky above, raindrops beat steadily down on the towering buildings, a second clap of thunder echoed the treacherous sound of his beating heart. The pounding behind reached its peak.

Soaked material moved abrasively over chilled skin as he tried desperately to push himself up with trembling arms and even wearier legs. The lights in the distance glimmered blurrily in his vision, wavering with the air movement the ships created and the continuous, never ending rain. He could sense the others faintly, just a few hundred meters before him. Uncountable worlds beyond his reach. The pounding slowed gently, only whispers in the brightly lit night. He could feel them circling, blocking every available exit. The shadows drew closer to their target; he kept his eyes on the shimmering lights ahead and focused on the fading sense he had of the others. Lips moved soundlessly, the message carried in a form far more powerful than spoken words.

_I'm sorry._

The shadows attacked, blocking even the harsh lights from the predators hovering above and leaving only the sounds; boots shifting on ground, metallic weapons sliding into place, the subtle wisp of cloth against cloth and leather armour, mechanical whirring from the Scouts and Seeker Jets as they calculated his every possible move and labelled him as 'Dangerous', 'Traitor'. Thickly gloved hands grasped his hair at the back of his scalp, lifting his head sharply away from the ground, forcing a painful, hitching breath. Burning light filled his view, the hand emitting it slowly closing in until that horrid, burning -cold touch reached through him and all the sounds grew duller and the light grew dimmer, ending with one final pounding beat from his heart and a single crystal drop falling from beneath shielded eyes.

_It ends here. I'm sorry. _

One shattering, vengeful, tortured cry echoed across the landscape from distant lights, the sky thundered and boiled with all the rage of a turbulent ocean. Dead eyes watched as the army moved on, target destroyed, the pounding of their feet echoing off the walls of long-empty buildings and the exiting ships taking the majority of light with them, leaving only the weak and wavering street lamps for illumination. Shadows stretched across the street inhabiting every corner and crevice and the rain continued to fall with only the dead to take notice.

_I will always be with you, my Prince. Don't let me down, kid. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes: **This is a Sci-Fi, Fantasy story and should be read with a bit of an open mind.

Nevair

**XoOoX**

**Chapter 1**

The rain streaked window pane shuddered as the pounding continued. Fists capable of stealing a life with nothing but a thought fought uselessly against the glass and the room chilled, frost forming along the window's edge. A second scream tore out of heaving lungs, echoing out into the dead city beyond the thin barrier.

_Solo... This will not go unpunished._

Rough hands came to smoothly surround the beating fists, grasping them and pulling the trembling figure into an embrace strengthened by the death of uncountable enemies. Soft strands of music fell from the embracer's lips, winding and spreading throughout the large living space; calming, soothing, promising. The notes tinged with a touch of vengeance succeeded in stilling the thrashing figure, lowering the rage burning behind violet eyes to a steady gleam and strengthening the splintered walls around the deadly power caged within that powerful mind.

"We will make them pay."

"Of course."

"I want them _destroyed._"

"Soon."

"This has to end."

A pause. Blond hair shifted as he embraced the figure tighter, unconsciously letting more soothing sounds into the air.

"The arrangements are being made. Soon, it will be over soon Seth."

Blue eyes gazed at the reflection in the watery glass, blurring their figures almost beyond recognition. The last month had literally been hell on earth, when the skies refused to stop their tears and it seemed the heavens themselves were against them. A poetic description but true nonetheless. He could almost imagine he saw himself as he used to be in that distorted reflection. All blond hair and blue eyes and the mind built to plan a war with the will to carry it out. A smirk flitted momentarily upon his lips. They didn't know what war was back then, when all the fighting was done in the safety of enormous mechanical suits and it was Person vs. Person, or at worst Man vs. Machine. They didn't know what it was like to fight a battle where your enemies were the very ground on which you stood, the air you breathed, your own mind.

The city lights looked almost beautiful, lit up like the centre of civilisation it was supposed to be. Offices that should have been full of late working business men and women, roads and airways that should have been packed with the late night commuters were dead and silent. The war had stolen so much; Lives, innocence, love, the world itself.

The vid screen on the far wall lit up briefly before flashing to the image of a young man with russet hair and emerald eyes driving on the back of a fast moving hover bike. The blond immediately steered his distraught companion towards the screen, battle weary mind already wondering what could have gone wrong to make their partner check in hours late.

"Mission status, Trowa?"

"Completed. The reactor was nothing but ash when we finished. We've bought ourselves some time on that end at least."

A relieved sigh escaped, though he knew that if that were all the news he was about to receive it would be a damn miracle. "What else?"

"We ran into a few Seekers out by Sector Nine. We remained unseen, but I'm worried that we had no notice they would be there." The green eyes were icy, flashing in the light of the remaining street lamps that whipped past the fast moving bike. A few lines of static crossed the screen every now and then, disturbing the crystal image. The driver focussed in on the two people visible in his view screen, slightly less in focus than the big screen inside the living complex. He could _feel _the pain emitting from the smaller, long haired figure. Something more had happened, besides the worrying oversight in their intelligence network. "What happened, Quatre?"

"A squadron caught Solo returning from Sector Four's industrial section, managed to run him down just past our perimeter. He didn't make it." Steel laced every word and even with the distance separating the three warriors he felt their power and promise. Both driver and speaker looked to the figure standing as a statue, eyes closed, in the middle of their dimly lit living room. This would change things. Their little prince was devoted and fierce without the added rage this would incite, and recklessness would not help their cause in any way at this point in their plans. They were so close...

"They took him from me, and I swear I will make every last one of them repay that loss a thousand times over before this ends." Violet burned bright with the light of all the stars in the heavens, the vengeance of an angel without wings. Countless metallic ornaments clicked together as the long hair swirled with the spinning figure, trailing behind him as he moved away from Quatre and out of sight of the view screen.

Blue eyes locked with green, and a silent message passed between them before both screens went black.

_Keep him safe, I'll be there soon. _

**XoOoX**

The city spread beneath him, a veritable maze of skyscrapers and twisting, winding roads both in the air and on the ground far below. The chill wind almost felt refreshing after the conditions in which he had spent the vast majority of the last days. If not for the scent of death he swore would forever linger in their atmosphere. The rain soaked him through the uniform black armour, his hair uncomfortably dripping the icy substance down the back of his collar.

The mission was finally completed. Another reactor destroyed, a few more days of fighting bought. The never-ending cycle that had been in motion for the past sixty years continued along its indestructible path. An audible growl sounded, carried away by the wind in seconds. He never failed to work himself into a complete rage every time he thought of how this had started, how his life had been turned from, if not normal, at least peaceful to an endless age of battle as he had never known before. As mankind had never known before.

Legs dangling precariously off the roof's edge, he pulled a small leather-bound notebook and pen from his cache. Old-fashioned, maybe, but some things were worth holding onto. Even if it was a silly reminder of the days aeons past when his father and grandfather would read him stories from the diaries of _their_ father and grandfather. A quick flick of his head to rid himself off excess water, no matter that more continuously fell, and an air pocket to protect the paper pages and he began his daily ritual.

_F.E 063: July 17_

_Another successful mission later and we may have bought ourselves enough time to actually pull of this crazed plan of Quatre's. The war has reached a plateau, it feels as though we've been going through the same motions for ages now, and something needs to be done to change the pattern. This war will not be won in a stalemate, none of us could live with that. We've fought too hard and for too long now._

_We lost three when the reactor went up; they could not escape them fast enough to get away from the flames. Though I feel as if there was a loss greater than that this day, Seth radiates pain through our link, and more than the usual need for revenge. I pray the loss will not precede our downfall. The Empath's power is perceivable even at this distance and I imagine the anger my Prince feels will be all consuming for the immediate future. He never did like us trying to shield him from his own emotions, no matter how damaging they may be. _

_Our next step will have to wait until our members are fully gathered, which means the next few days will involve nothing but regrouping and re-arming. Funerals for the lost, as well. If this plan works, it will be nothing less than a miracle. My heart is far too jaded to even hope for success, but my soul seems lighter with every day that brings us closer to this last, desperate choice. Ancestor's protect me from fools who lose their lives based on nothing but faith...even if I am the fool. _

_Sixty years of fighting, and it all began with the 'dawn of a new era'. Mankind's greatest achievement and crowning glory, a true gift from Heaven, or if you wanted to be politically correct, the scientific find of the century. We spent five years with the entire world thinking it was on the peak of civilisation, that nothing could ever top or match the society we'd built for ourselves. Five years of peace leading to the worst wars our species had ever fought or even dreamt of in their darkest nightmares. How aptly named our new generation was; Final Era. One event, one small, insignificant moment in time spawned the brightest future and the darkest end. We have sworn to fight until our last breath, until this enemy is defeated, and no matter what the price we will keep that promise. _

_No matter the price. Even if that price is returning to the past, to that one moment in time, to prevent this from ever happening. We were too late to stop them now, there's no chance that even with their defeat we would be able to rebuild and continue on. This is our last hope, and should it fail the world and every member of the human race will have been eradicated and lost to this all consuming darkness. I am willing to do whatever it takes, even return to a time I thought long behind me. A time with different places and names and people. When peace was a novel new concept and wars were much less frightening than I know them to be now. _

_A time I once called myself Chang, Wufei._

The journal was shut and tucked away again, air pocket dissipating without need for it any longer. He shifted to settle the numerous armour and weapon pieces into place. A quick glance down revealed a familiar figure on the back of a speeding hover bike, the light of a view screen just barely visible from that distance. With the knowledge that Trowa had informed the others of the mission's completion, he waited until the speeding figure had passed the next building before stepping off the ledge he had been perched on and allowing the cold, dead wind to carry him down. The currents were strong, leaving no doubt he would make it back in the same time as his partner. He wanted to be there to calm his dear friend, his little prince of darkness, and learn what had happened to upset him so in the first place. The Dragon in him roared; no one caused his family harm and survived the next dawn.

_This Final Era will not be the end, not so long as we have the means to change it, and the ability to still draw breath. This is our promise, and by all that has been lost we will do everything in our power to see that it is kept. _


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Reviews are always appreciated. Update info will be posted on my bio page.

Enjoy.

Nevair

**XoOoX**

Even after sixty years he still couldn't get used to the wind. He remembered the first time he stepped out of Wing and felt the sweetest, gentlest breeze glide through his helmet-matted hair and cool the sweat at the nape of his neck. It had been the most calming thing he'd felt in all his life, at the time; All smooth and silky, smelling of green living things. It cleansed the metal and death from his skin and nostrils and made him feel human and free. That wind had never made a return appearance and with the way the world was now it never would. Hot, ash filled gusts berated his team and him as they crouched, nearly blinded from the force, behind a long abandoned building. The crumbling walls provided small cover from those hunting them, but the protection from the wind was more than welcome. Anhur was reluctant to wait for even such a short amount of time, having felt the turmoil from Seth over the last few days. Their bond had always been strong. He prayed whatever had happened to cause such pain did not precede worse events in the following days.

A barely-there rustle next to him brought his attention snapping back to the others. They were all ready to return to someplace relatively safe. The past few days had been harrowing and the numbers lost too great to contemplate. The objective had been reached, and the extra time it would grant them was more than worth the lives it cost. The price of surviving one more day, or two more days, was worth the death of millions at this point. Perhaps it was fortunate that the current world population was somewhere around 700 or it might have come to that. God help us all.

"How much longer?" the whisper was unexpected and barely heard over the shrieking wind despite the earpieces they all wore.

"A few minutes. They know we're waiting." The entrance to their well defended safe zone was mere meters ahead. Only accessible from the inside, anyone wishing sanctuary had to be invited in.

Anxiousness warred with nervousness as he strategically planned out the next few days. There was so much to do in preparation. One last shot. They were going to roll the dice and hope, pray, that the world didn't end. Not that it hadn't already, but if this didn't work there wouldn't even be the hope that something could change the path they were on. Sitting in the barren wasteland that covered the earth, watching the ruined shards of the colonies drift past in the sky above that hope didn't seem very strong at all.

**XoOoX**

Violet eyes snapped open as Seth gracefully rolled to his feet and made his way to the adjacent room. The two occupants looked up from their readings, each of them committing last minute notes and blueprints to memory. Everything had to be perfect; they had so little time and so many little things to do before they could begin. Just like old times, when they were young and anything but innocent. That was one thing this fight had been unable to take; innocence had been lost long before this path was chosen.

"He's here. Many were lost." Seth had felt their deaths, little shards of light fleeing this plane and moving towards the next. He had made sure to say goodbye. Death was never the end for him; cold lifeless bodies and unmarked graves were only the first step towards a new journey. There was life after death and the dead always had one more chance in this world if they chose to appeal to him for it. Solo's leaving had hurt more than he could bear, his chance had been used and this time it was his soul that died. It had truly been the end. Seth refused to let the anger show in case Quatre decided to forcibly calm him again. For his own good of course.

"Did they make their journeys swiftly?" It was almost ritual now to ask after the dead even though both knew he would have sent them on their way with a warm light to guide them.

"Swift, and in the company of friends."

Quatre rose from his seat and moved silently towards a heavily protected door. "I suppose we shouldn't keep them waiting long then. Are they alone?"

Trowa took a moment to let his gaze slide off into an unseen distance. It was a short time before he answered in a breathy whisper. "Shadows from the west. They're not far off." A slightly longer pause and those green eyes snapped back to the present with an almost fearful glint hiding in their depths. "They're sending an army."

Quatre glanced back sharply to his companions. In all the years they had been fighting this war, none of them had ever faced more than one division at a time. Seekers, Hunters, Recon-based machines, Assassins; but never more than one at a time. The summoners were the worst, the demons they conjured up conformed to no rhyme or reason and the numbers some were able to manage were deadly in and of themselves. Trowa wouldn't be worried over things they were used to dealing with.

"How many?"

"It's hard to tell," a light frown creased Trowa's smooth forehead. "They are indistinct, shielded. The beasts cannot track or scent them. Few can trick the eyes of an eagle."

Seth glided swiftly to the large window on the opposite side of the room, small ornaments both decorative and protective chiming softly in his unbound hair. Shadows rose around him as he reached the glass and pressed both palms to the smooth surface. Twisting and writhing they curled around bare arms and slid across the clear glass of the window. Breath condensed on the cooler surface and blurred the already dim lights visible in the distance.

"_Go."_

The shadows fled into the darkness, searching among the empty shells littering the streets and fields for long-unused eyes to see the enemy as they encroached. They saw friends hidden behind the skeleton of a once beautiful building and took a moment to circle Anhur's beloved form before moving on. Lights cast from Seekers sent them skittering forward away from the harsh brilliance, making note of the distance the machines were stationed beyond their master's perimeter. Past the dim city lights and into the deep night beyond they moved quickly, tirelessly. There. Movement in the dark drew their attention. The body of a fallen civilian provided the means to see the enemy and they remained hidden in their borrowed shell as the monsters and machines moved steadily towards them.

**XoOoX**

"We have guests it seems, waiting in the dark among the fallen." The beautiful voice was as deep as the coldest ocean and painful to the soul to hear.

"Servants of the dead." The hissing reply floated along the still, putrid air to the ears of the many soldiers stationed around the leaders in the centre. A silky laugh echoed forth from the original speaker, a sharp contrast to his second in commands broken voice. He seemed to taste the air as he inhaled deeply, creating his own small currents as the very air bowed before this creature.

"No. They are the dead, serving Death." Grace personified the movements of the demon leading the army of monsters, machines, and creatures long forgotten on this world. Fine spun cloth whispered as he crouched at the head of one of the many bodies strewn across the barren land. The little remaining blades of grass withered and died as his hands touched them. Eyes clear as a sapphire sky and as cold and dead as the gems they resembled peered into the shadow-blackened depths of the recently inhabited corpse before him. A smirk flitted across his beautiful face, a hand coming up to stroke the cold pale skin the shadows resided in. His gaze travelled deeper, into the shadows themselves and then on into the distance where their master stood pressed against cold glass in the heart of a long defended sanctuary. A sanctuary he had yet to breach, though that time was coming soon.

"Go home to your tamer, pets. Tell him we'll be together soon. The world has turned for the last time, and we've only one last dance to see through to the end. _Wait for me; let all the powers of this earth greet the end of Eternity in one last beautiful moment. Not even Death can escape this demise."_

The words echoed across the shadows' bond with their maker, the souls of the dead willingly serving as a connection between their ruler and the indescribable being commanding them. The surrounding army shrieked their approval, bloodthirsty as ever. So long as they were free to kill the remaining inhabitants of this world they would be satisfied. He arose from his kneeling position, smiling graciously at his troops, his servants, slaves. They would mindlessly follow him into the depths of oblivion.

"We see the end tonight my friends. Let us descend the final steps into hell!"

A cheer more deafening than the last filled the air, the braver animals finally fleeing as far from these harbingers of dread as their wings or legs would allow. The eagle circling above lent the beast-tamer his eyes one last time, though the shimmering air beneath his wings did not allow for clearest of images. A wind stirred behind him as he flew southward, towards a scattering of broken trees and a river turned red in the light of the stars.

The shadows fled.

**XoOoX**

Seth span away from the cold glass pane leaving fading hand prints behind. Stark terror shone through the violet eyes, perspiration beaded his temples and dripped like ice down his spine.

"It's him. They're ending it tonight."

Quatre almost ran to the barricaded door, entering codes and completing scans faster than was humanly possible. They would need to hurry if everything was to go to plan. He didn't even want to think of the alternatives. The heavy door slid open silently and granted entrance to the harsh, fiery wind that continued to bombard this part of the world. Slight movement off to the left betrayed Anhur and the others position. Quatre sent a quick pulse of _safe, trust_ to his friends and watched as they moved with haste from behind their scant cover and into the only safe place remaining on the earth.

"Welcome home. We have things to discuss. I suggest you finish any preparations needed before we face what is to come." The newly returned group shared uneasy glances before a few moved to their living areas to do as Quatre had said. Anhur remained behind, taking note of the starkly pale faces of his much-loved friends.

"What is it?"

"They're coming. All of them." Trowa glanced at the still shaken Seth before moving to share what warmth and comfort he could with his long time friend. Thin shadows rose from the crevices in the room and wrapped themselves loosely about the pair.

"So this is it then." Anhur settled his Prussian blue gaze on the friends, allies, and at some point enemies. People he had fought with and against, whom he had known by different names and faces. They had made it so far and through so much together, it would be an honour to fight this last battle alongside them. "I trust the Dragon knows?" He hadn't been in the room when they arrived but that didn't mean he wasn't paying close attention to them from wherever he was. A Dragon's ears are keen and his senses sharp.

"Of course. He's on his way now." Quatre finished resetting all the protections on the entrance to their home. It would be of little use against their enemies when they arrived, but the small security was all they had at the moment. "We need to push our plans up. The mirror will have to be opened soon if we wish to make it across before the demons begin knocking on our door."

Seth let out a sardonic snicker. "They'll be more than knocking. He's with them, and He's anxious to dance with us as the world burns." Trowa's arms and the shadows indistinct bodies tightened around him. Always trying to protect their prince. Nothing could protect any of them from what was to come.

"Then let us be ready to greet Him with fire. Fear not this foe, Death. We've faced far worse things than oblivion." The Dragon strode into the room in a silent flurry of black armour and flowing hair tied back at the base of his skull. One black clawed hand rested comfortably on a wicked looking Katana held to his side by an ornamental belt inscribed with flowing runes and dancing patterns. Hard black eyes softened as he gazed upon beloved faces. It truly would be an honour to die among them.

Anhur smiled softly and moved to clasp hands with the Dragon. It had been far too long since they had been in physical contact, though it would have been worse without the occasional video and audio transmissions they had managed when he was in the field. The two of them alone, and perhaps Trowa, were the only ones that honestly did not expect to see their last desperate plan come to fruition. Too many years with the battles they had fought and the horrors they had seen had stripped them of any remnants of hope. Their only wish was to leave this world for the next together, battling with their last breath.

"We begin, then. Gather the others."

**XoOoX**

The room was dark, lit only with the reflections of the mirror residing on the opposite side of the room. It cast indistinct patterns, smoke and mist drifting soothingly throughout the cool room. Five individuals stood in a military-straight line facing the rippling surface of their last hope. The mirror had been the result of decades of effort and research, and a large amount of sheer accidental luck. What was once their hope for an un-stoppable weapon against the forces bent on destroying their world had now become a last desperate attempt to stop all this before it began. The energy was immeasurable; it's full function still unknown. It was all they had.

As one they stepped forward, determined to face this together no matter the end result. Quatre moved to the consol sitting off to the right and connected through a multitude of wires to the calmly rippling mirror. He entered the codes that had been entrusted to him by the lead scientist just before a cruelly smiling soldier had torn him in half. His hands trembled slightly on the keypad. A spark lit up the room brightly for a moment, and then another, until the once gentle mirror had become a storm of bright lights and chaotic patterns. The room felt a few degrees warmer.

"Let's hope that means it's doing what we want it to." Quatre moved back to the main group, all watching warily as the storm began to settle and instead of the opaque surface that had always formed the mirrors body a translucent one began to form. The view through to the other side was blurred, and now instead of a mirror that showed no reflection they seemed to be looking through a door. A door that would lead to their salvation, to a new end, a new path. A gateway to the past.

"How far back did they say this would take us?" Seth drew his eyes away from the bright side of the room and looked to the others. The Dragon was looking up, as though he could see through the ceiling and into the ground-level floor above their heads. He answered without even glancing Seth's way.

"After Colony 200." A cruel smile graced his lips. "Seven months before the beginning of the end."

"That's not a lot of time."

"It was the best they could do. Better that than continuing along this thread." Strong hands curled tightly around the handle of his katana. "They're here. The others are holding them back as best as they can." The Dragon finally drew his gaze downwards to his comrades, black eyes eerily reflecting the light emitted from the doorway they had created. "They'll be over run."

A force from above rocked through the building. Cries from those hopelessly defending them from the enemy echoed in the cavernous room. Anhur glanced one last time at the opened doorway, and then moved to grab weapons from the cache behind them.

"What are you doing?"

A quick look back showed the others Anhur's determined face. "We all knew this was a long shot. Seth, you and Quatre do what you must to make sure our mistakes our not repeated." He nodded his head towards the gate, messy hair falling forwards and shadowing his eyes. "Stop this from ever happening."

"I'll go with you." Trowa moved forwards and mimicked Anhur's actions as he strapped energy bombs and wicked looking blades to his wrists and belt. "I will not let the few remaining creatures of this world fight on their own. I owe them more than that for all they've done."

The ceiling shook above their heads. Dust rained down and danced along the streams of light moving throughout the room. The screams seemed to be growing quieter.

"No, please!" Quatre moved as though to stop them, but the Dragon held him back with a gentle hand. Desperate blue eyes met steeled black. "We were supposed to do this together!"

"We all have our parts to play, Quatre. We will be together in the end. Don't waste this chance arguing with us. We will hold them off and let you do what you need to change this."

"Wait-"

"Quatre," Seth's voice held a command he rarely invoked. "We're running out of time. This needs to be done." He nodded to Trowa and Anhur who quickly made their way out the entrance and up the stairs to the fight above. "Be safe, beloveds."

The Dragon took the time to cup Seth's cheek, looking deeply into those fathomless violet depths. They needed no further words. Saddened blue eyes caught his attention and it struck him then how much the Quatre of now had retained of his younger self. The Empath truly was the heart of them all. Streaming black hair trailed behind as the Dragon span on his heel and strode purposefully towards the staircase leading to the darkness above. The quiet clicks of his armour soon faded as he too disappeared and the two remaining soldiers were alone with only the light from the gateway to comfort them.

"We need to finish this. What else is there left to do before we can step through?"

Quickly pulling himself together Quatre tore his eyes away from the dark space three of his dearest companions had walked into. The gate had been opened, the necessary actions taken to stabilize and ground the energy flowing through the frail frame. "Nothing. We should send the packages first, just in case."

Seth nodded and moved to a shadowed corner of the room where five gundamium lined boxes were stacked. Each was small enough to carry in one hand and held all the relevant documents and vids, articles and news reels, records they themselves had made either by voice or the Dragon's preferred method of writing in the old style. Countless disks and a single trinket each of them had refused to let remain in this shattered era. If anything should happen and they be unable to tell their past counterparts in person of the coming Armageddon then at least this would survive. Someone had to be warned, no matter the method or who received that warning.

"Just toss them through?"

"Yes. Let us pray this works."

The first box sailed through gently, as though caught and guided by the currents of light. Through the blurred image it was possible to see it on the other side, tilted on its side on the floor of some long-abandoned room. The second followed shortly after, less graceful and followed by violent sparking along the rim of the gate. Seth faintly heard the clattering noise it made as it skidded along the ground on the opposite side of the gate and collided with the first box. The third box never left his hand.

A great force ripped into his soul and tore it asunder, coinciding with the most violent attack yet felt from the rooms above. So many dead...

Quatre collapsed to his knees, the breath rushing from his lungs and refusing to inflate them again. Trowa, Anhur, the Dragon. The empty parts of his heart that were filled with their essence caved in and his world ended in that single, heart-stopping moment. Footsteps echoed hauntingly down the blackened staircase.

A chilling laugh announced His entrance, cloaked in flame and crowned in all the trappings of hell. The most beautiful creature to ever grace this earth; an emperor of countless fallen nations, father of the gods and bringer of miracles and death. Angel's eyes stared coldly at the fallen soldiers before him. Their comrades had put up quite the fight, but tonight the world turned in his favour and had granted him the power needed to end the lives of all those still clinging to this earth.

"You, how could you?" The hoarse croak echoed from the Empath and struck hatred and loss into the hearts of all those present. "This will not go unpunished! Fight me if you're willing."

"Willing and ready. Let us share this last dance."

With a grating cry Quatre flung himself towards the enemy, blades flashing and blurring with the strikes and thrusts the pair made. The fury seemed to travel throughout the very air and stones of the building as the sparks thrown off by the gateway grew in strength and the foundation began to rock beneath them. It lasted far too long, and was over much too quickly.

"So close to the end, my friends. Will you not fight me as the others did?"

Seth shook slightly before ice seemed to settle into his blood, his very bones. All those he had fought for, fought with, were lying cold and still on the ground. He could feel the souls of the dead clamouring for his attention; they felt the beginnings of the end as well.

"I will not. You take too much pleasure from our deaths."

Another laugh. He stepped farther into the room, nearer to the lone remaining soldier in the centre, stepping lightly by the fallen blonde without care for the blood that clung to his boots. "Strange that Death refuses to face his own judgement. You cannot escape this end, child. Now, let us watch the world burn!"

A chilling smile split that hauntingly beautiful face, arms raised and head turned upwards in adoration of the chaos surrounding him. The gateway flared and dimmed to a mere glimmer, gale force winds swept through the room and across the barren landscape beyond their walls. The animals shrieked and howled, fleeing to the little shelter provided by broken trees and lifeless mountains. The deserts boiled and rose, smothering the last specks of life in their glittering sands. Seth felt the dead quiet, this end was meant for them as well; oblivion from one world to the next. One last effort, a candle-flame prayer sent to the stars and whoever might be listening above. Death felt the world slipping, saw the never-ending nothing that was spreading and invading and destroying and leaving behind _nothing. _An absence, complete and utter silence and the glaring black of oblivion. He would not bow to this, refused to stand aside as time and a being greater than any that had ever walked the earth decided to lay down and let the darkness come. And Death fled, across time and space, through the smallest crack in a gateway just closing.

The world faded, and the end of all things was lost in the devouring deep.

_There are more things that exist in this world than what humans, young and small as they are, could ever comprehend or imagine. Powers greater than Death or Time. They demand respect and do not bow to prayers or bargains, nor will they make deals with mortals. They witnessed the birth of the earth, the rise and fall of empires and gods alike. The stars are their children, and all things existing on this earth are merely passersby in their great existence; short lived games for Them to enjoy as they wait for Eternity's end. For so long they have waited... Now, let the Earth spin and the stars stand witness to the beginning of this final dance. The world is balanced on the edge of an abyss, hovering until the time arrives and those that have waited for eternity are granted release. Rejoice in this day; let death take you on swift wings._

One soul, uneasy with dreams of a far off future where demons walked amongst angels and the world waged war on its inhabitants, shuddered and flared with a sudden blinding light. Violet eyes snapped open. Chest heaving and dripping with a cold sweat the figure stumbled through the pitch black room and into the small adjacent washroom. The harsh hum of electric lights grated on sensitive ears and the creak of pipes preceded the sounds of splashing as he desperately tried to wash the nightmare from his skin. Looking up the figure froze, sure that for a moment the dingy mirror had shown him older, hair loose about him and littered with golden items, shadows dancing across his skin.

_Death bows to no one. I will prevent the mistakes that were made; that have yet to be made. In this time or another, in any of the threads that make up the tapestry of the universe, I will see that there is one happy ending. Eternity will not reach the brink, and willing or not you are going to help me save this life, Duo._


End file.
